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Airbnb has turned me down for the second time citing TOS. This means that there is no support for the obviously vindictive review.
What this means is that any guest can give one star at any time no matter what happened on your property. And that is wrong. We take enough risk as it is.
I am closing in on 4.8 but it’s not the point. Any suggestions other than those offered
Hi justMandi
This is a host’s worst nightmare. The best we can do as hosts is to make sure we respond to the bad review with 14 days. Be professional get your point across. Most prospective travellers that read a bad review might smell a rat with this disingenuous review especially if they see a whole heap of good ones. As for Airbnb’s response, get hold of their help desk. Remember a lot of the notices we get as hosts are all automated. If you get hold of a person, they are generally very helpful and understanding. They are there to moderate. They do not want to upset their hosts or their travellers. I have always found them to be very helpful.
All the best
Al
I haven’t had a chance to take my one star did not stay issue to twitter yet because bookings have been so busy (did sign up for an account though) but I got a last minute IB for it that left all 5 stars with a review of “10/10”. Unfortunately I think his native language Ian not English and so they put it as the very last bottom review. I still have the one star review that says Go somewhere else…showing first.
With you there. And it’s probably a good thing in the long run. Air is most vulnerable because it is pre IPO. They don’t care about your one star. But they should be concerned about a system flaw that puts contenders like Marriott at an advantage. A carefully designed competitive program would be attractive to top hosts. Not to mention the safety aspect.
For example, unless told otherwise by the buyer, eBay automatically defaults to 5, their top rating. Considering most of our reviews are 5’s anyway, it makes sense.
I am pleased to announce that I have officially clawed my way back to 4.8. I could not have done it without you and this forum.
My methods may not work for everyone, but to quote KCC’s wisdom, it was me who had to change, and in a hurry. I put on my “altitude of gratitude” hat.
I had a whack of nitwits apply, but also some genuinely nice people. I am also grateful to my co host for taking a positive view.
That article about the one star review is a definite go. Not so much out of resentment, but because people need to know. Back at ya when it’s done.
Cheers!
This is brilliant. Thank you. It explains a lot.
Or, as my daughter points out, the algorithm sucks.
For most people, 2 one star reviews would put most people out of business. You may indeed run a doghouse. But in all probability, you just lost a perfectly good business due to nasty people.
A couple of thoughts.
We proved to ourselves this week that anyone can register with Air, get verified, and then insert a fake photo and name. You accept the booking and they do the rest.
Which means that anyone who wants to hurt you CAN.
The other point is a question. Are algorithms for other sites so obviously punitive?
Time and time again I find myself remembering this post. What it speaks to is respect for others in our home, but also self respect, a factor that has been circling the drain for some time now.
Mr. One Star had no concept of decency. But it wasn’t me who noticed everything. Our resident co host was horrified.
Ultimately it came down to a decision. Do I let this creature run rampant, or say something, putting my most excellent business at risk?
The co host won. The horror and indignation on her face reminded me that we are decent, caring and respectable people before we are hosts.
I don’t know what the Marriott does with people like this. All I know is that I have no intention of degrading ourselves for a review.